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The Umawad Dvnasty Soon after Ali's death, Mu'awiyah, the leader of the Umayyads claimed the caliphate. Most Muslims, called the Sunnis, came to accept his rule. But the minority, known as the Shi'a, or "party" of Ali, refused to do so. They believed that only people directly related to Muhammad through his son-in-law Ali should be caliph. The split between the Sunnis and the Shi'a lasts to this day. Mu'awiyah put down a revolt by Ali's supporters. He held onto the role of caliph. He also founded the Umayyad Dynasty. In 661, the Umayyads moved the capital of the Islamic Empire from Mecca to Damascus, Syria. From there, the caliphs ruled the huge Muslim empire for close to 100 years. To maintain control, they kept large armies posted at garrison towns (a place where a group of soldiers is stationedfor defensive purposes). Slowly, the lands of the Muslim empire took on more elements of Arab culture. Muslims introduced the Arabic language to people throughout the empire. The widespread acceptance of Islam and Arabic helped to unite the diverse people of the empire. In addition, Arabs took over as top offrcials. People bought goods with new Arab coins. While the Muslims did not force people to convert to Islam, some non-Arabs willingly became Muslims. The Muslim empire continued to expand. The Umayyad caliphs sent armies into central Asia and northwestern India. ln7ll, Muslim armies began their conquests of present-day Spain. However, at the Battle of Tours in732, enemy forces under the Frankish king Charles Martel turned the Muslims back in west-central France. This battle marked the furthest extent of Muslim advances into Europe. Muslims held on to land in Spain, where Muslim states lasted for almost 800 years. Muslims in Spain built some of the greatest cities of medieval Europe. Their capital city, Cordoba, became a center of learning. In this place of religious tolerance, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars shared ideas. Through their work, Muslim Spain made amazing advances in arts, sciences, technology, and literature. The Umayyad leaders established a system of taxation in order to afford many government projects. Under this tax system all people in the empire were required to pay taxes, however, the amount of tax paid varied depending on your religious affiliation. Arab* Muslims paid the least amount of taxes. Non-Arab converts to Islam paid slightly more and non-Muslims paid the most. The substantial income from the large Umayyad Empire enabled its leaders to sponsor grand construction projects. Muslim engineers developed innovations in engineering, including the building of canals and irrigation systems. Canals improved trade and agriculture by increasing the amount of land that could be cultivated. Canals also improved transportation, which had a positive impact on trade during the Umayyad era. Another type of construction developed and perfected during the rule of the Umalyads was mosque construction. The Umalyads had an enoffnous mosque built in the capital of Damascas. The result was a magnificent structure, eclipsed in size and splendor only by a later building project - the construction of the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem. This mosque was built around the rock where Muslims believe Muhammad was miraculously taken up to the heavens to meet with God during the "Night Journey." The taxation policies that allowed for the construction of these great government projects eventually contributed to the downfall of the Umayyad Dynasty. Many devout Muslims were disturbed by what they felt were overly luxurious and extravagant lifestyles of the Umayyad rulers. Many felt that the wealth of the empire was misused by the rulers on selfish and worldly pleasures that violated the rules of the Qur'an and Hadith. A man named Abbas emerged as a leader of the dissatisfied Muslims in Khorasan, a Persian city located in modern day Iran. Abbas united the many Muslim groups that were unhappy with the rule of the Umayyads. One such group was the Persians, who had once ruled a huge empire of their own before being conquered by the Muslim armies of Umar. The Persians resented their perceived secondary status in the Umayyad empire, especially since their faith, Islam, required that everyone be treated equally. Abbas also appealed to Shi'a Muslims, who supported the idea that the Umayyads had been caliphs unjustly since the rule of Mu'awiya. The conflict between the disgruntled Muslim citizens and the Umayyads came to a head in747 C.E. when the Abbasids (as the followers of Abbas were called), revolted against Damascus. After three years of battle the Abbasids defeated the Umayyads in 750 C.E. thus beginning the era of Abbasid rule. *Arab someone who can trace their ancestry to the tribes of tlte Arabian Peninsula , whose Jirst language is Arabic, and who follows the traditional culture of the Arabian Peninsula. - 0 5al0 1,000 miles _-j l--.-*_r 0 500 1,000 kr cmeiers : atrRln^ ffi Iili] [-"1 .*. lsla,Iro lanos at Muhamm.tcl s deailt. 632 lerntory aclded. 63il-661 Territory arlded, 662-750 tsattle srte